2023 Critics Choice Film Nominations Announced – A Breakdown From a CCA Member
The 28th Annual Critics Choice Film Nominations were announced this morning and two things are among the critical consensus –
Toni Gonzales
The 28th Annual Critics Choice Film Nominations were announced this morning and two things are among the critical consensus – originality is king (or Queen, no disrespect), and critics love movies about movies. Historically, the Critics Choice Awards are the most accurate predictor of Academy Award® nominations.
Mama always said, “Don’t ask a question if you don’t want the answer.” My fellow critics in the Critics Choice Association didn’t need to even hear the end of the question before they spoke, and their (er, our) love for film is evident. Though, for the record, some of us are a little out there. Hey, with almost 600 critics across the globe, you are sure to get varying perspectives.
That said, here are a couple of headlines from the CCA Film nominations that any film lover should know. Including one that left this lady scratching her head.
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” IS Everywhere
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” clearly describes the love CCA critics have for the A24 movie about a Chinese immigrant (Michelle Yeoh) who alone has the ability to save the world – though she has to explore other universes before she can.
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” earned 14 overall nominations. The biggest include: Best Picture and Best Comedy nods, acting nominations for Michelle Yeoh in the Best Actress Category, Best Supporting Actor for Ke Huy Quan, Both Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu are up for Best Supporting Actress, and the cast garnered a Best Acting Ensemble nomination.
The imaginative and smart film is out of the ordinary and was a welcome breath of artistic whimsy while still remaining clever and lively. The same could be said of many of the films that earned a number of nominations this morning.
Skipping over Steven Spielberg’s “The Fablemans”, which earned 11 total noms, we find the next two films almost as original and brilliant as anything else seen all year. Both “Babylon,” and “The Banshees of Inishirin,” earned nine noms (more from the cast of “Banshees” this week on Celeb Magazine).
It’s important to note that both “The Fablemans” and “Babylon” are films that are about the making of movies.
Women Are Not Silenced
Two well deserved nominations in the directing categories for women that were sadly looked over earlier this week from the Golden Globes. Both Gina Prince-Bythewood who directed “The Woman King” and Sarah Polley who helmed “Women Talking” were both nominated alongside some big directing names. Names so big, they are practically an institution unto themselves. Incidentally, Polly’s film was also nominated for Best Picture.
To take it a step further, both films were awarded the CCA’s Women’s Committee’s SOFEE Seal (Seal of Female Empowerment in Entertainment).
In the directing category are: James Cameron – “Avatar: The Way of Water”,
Damien Chazelle – “Babylon”, Todd Field – “Tár”, Baz Luhrmann – “Elvis”
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert – “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, Martin McDonagh – “The Banshees of Inisherin”, Sarah Polley – “Women Talking” , Gina Prince-Bythewood – “The Woman King”, S.S. Rajamouli – “RRR”, and Steven Spielberg – “The Fabelmans”
Sans Smith
Noticeably absent in the Best Actor category was actor Will Smith. His role as Peter, an enslaved man who fights for freedom, was largely ignored. In fact, “Emancipation” did not garner a single nomination. That one is a real head scratcher for this critic. Understandable? Absolutely, but Smith didn’t make that film alone and there were some talented folks on that film.
Streaming vs. Studios – And The Winner is…
Much has been made about streaming content versus studio content. This year, the critics chose content mostly from the studios. Last year streaming hits like Apple TV’s “CODA”, and Netflix’s “The Power of Dog” and “Belfast” reigned supreme. This year that is less so.
In fact, most of the films with more than nine nominations come from Hollywood Studios. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (14 noms) comes from A24, “The Fabelmans” (11 noms) is a product of Universal, “Babylon”(9 noms) belongs t
Critics Choice Film Nominations Join Television
This morning’s film nominations join the already released television nominations “Abbott Elementary” leads the TV contenders collecting nods in six categories. They include: Best Comedy Series, Quinta Brunson for Best Actress, Chris Perfetti and Tyler James Williams were both nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, while Janelle James and Sheryl Lee Ralph both earned nods for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
“Better Call Saul” followed with an impressive five nominations overall, while “Gaslit”, “Reservation Dogs”, and “The Good Fight” tied with four nominations each.
It was also announced that Hollywood icon Jeff Bridges will receive the Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s show.
Critics Choice Awards Details
The 28th annual Critics Choice Awards are hosted by Chelsea Handler. The winners will be revealed at the star-studded Critics Choice Awards gala and will broadcast LIVE on The CW from the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 15, 2023.
To see all the nominations, check out the Critics Choice Association.